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'complete chaos'

Stockholm terror attack witnesses ran for their lives ‘like ants’ as truck mowed down crowds – as British holidaymaker is caught up in the horror

PETRIFIED witnesses revealed how they ran for their lives amid "complete chaos" after a truck ploughed into crowds in Stockholm this afternoon, killing at least five.

Horrified onlookers described seeing "lifeless bodies" strewn on the ground and hearing terrifying screams as armed cops ran down the street after the attack.

 'Three gunmen' are said to be on the run after the attack in Stockholm
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'Three gunmen' are said to be on the run after the attack in StockholmCredit: Splash News
 Traumatised witnesses comfort each other after the attack in Sweden this afternoon
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Traumatised witnesses comfort each other after the attack in Sweden this afternoonCredit: Rex Features

British holidaymaker Harriet Rose-Gale described hearing screams as the horror unfolded just metres from where she was having lunch.

One witness, Anna, told local newspaper she saw "hundreds" of people running for their lives as a truck mowed down shoppers near Ahlens Mall in the Swedish city.

She said: "I saw hundreds of people run, they ran for their lives. I turned and ran as well."

Shots were fired as police hunted the suspects, and the city's main train station and metro have been evacuated and shut down.

Another witness spoke of her horror after watching the out-of-control truck run over at least two people.

Dimitris told local reporters: "I went to the main street when a big truck came out of nowhere.

 A man appears to be led away by police in a picture shared on Twitter, but cops denied making any arrests
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A man appears to be led away by police in a picture shared on Twitter, but cops denied making any arrests

Annevi Peterson described people lying dead and injured in the street with blood everywhere.

"I heard the noise, I heard the screams, I saw the people," she told BBC News.

"There was, just outside the store, there was a dead dog, the owner screaming, there was a lady lying with a severed foot.

"There was blood everywhere, there were bodies on the ground everywhere.

"There was a sense of panic, people standing by their loved ones but also people running away."

You can follow events as they unfold on our Sun live blog.

Eyewitness Serwan Saleme told Sky News: "There was a lot of cars, people were very confused.

 A doctor walks through the carnage as bodies lay on the floor covered with blankets
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A doctor walks through the carnage as bodies lay on the floor covered with blanketsCredit: Rex Features
 Emergency services tend to an injured victim on the ground
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Emergency services tend to an injured victim on the groundCredit: Rex Features

"People were everywhere and they (the police) were shouting at people to stay away from the roads.

"All the major stations are closed right now. There is a lot of chaos going on right now. Everyone is shocked."

One eyewitness, who works on the sixth floor of an office building 100 metres from Ahlens, filmed people running from the scene.

Mikael Anttila, 49, told the Press Association he saw several hundred people gathered on the street close to the shop, before they all started running "suddenly ... like ants".

"Then a lot of police started coming. Heavy weapons, civilian police, etcetera," he said.

John Backvid was on the scene moments after the attack before emergency services arrived.
"Some people were on the ground doing CPR," he told BBC News.

"The first thing I felt was a bit of smoke in the air.

"I saw a gathering of people and the car on fire - it was deep in the store and the store fire alarm was on. It was quite chaotic."

 Armed police are on the scene in Stockholm where the city centre remains on lockdown
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Armed police are on the scene in Stockholm where the city centre remains on lockdownCredit: Rex Features
 The city centre is on lockdown after a lorry rammed into crowds in the Swedish capital
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The city centre is on lockdown after a lorry rammed into crowds in the Swedish capitalCredit: Splash News

"I could not see if anyone was driving it but it got out of control. I saw at least two being run over.

"I ran as fast as I could."

One man was believed to have been arrested after the attack, with video footage showing a man being cuffed by cops.

But Swedish Police said they had not made any arrests, leading to confusion.

Several armed men are reported to have jumped out of the lorry as it rammed into shoppers at around 2pm BST.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said: "Sweden has been attacked. Everything points to a terror attack."

 Orange blankets have been laid over the bodies of the dead
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Orange blankets have been laid over the bodies of the deadCredit: Rex Features

Pools of blood were visible on the street along with bodies covered in blankets after the terror attack in the Swedish capital, which comes just weeks after a car drove into crowds in London, killing five.

A British tourist on holiday in Stockholm has described seeing "lifeless bodies" covered with towels at the scene of the suspected terror attack.

 A girl is comforted outside the Ahlens mall in Stockholm
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A girl is comforted outside the Ahlens mall in StockholmCredit: Reuters
 Armed police stand guard amid reports several suspects may be on the run
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Armed police stand guard amid reports several suspects may be on the runCredit: Rex Features

Reporter Harriet Rose-Gale, 26, was eating lunch metres away from the spot where a truck ploughed into pedestrians in the Swedish capital.

Harriet, of Marlborough, Wilts., described scenes of panic as dozens of emergency vehicles flooded the streets.

 British journalist Harriet Rose-Gale was just metres from where the attack happened and reported seeing bodies strewn on the ground
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British journalist Harriet Rose-Gale was just metres from where the attack happened and reported seeing bodies strewn on the groundCredit: Twitter

She said: "We were literally 100 or 200m away having lunch when a couple of police cars went by followed by about 20-30 emergency vehicles continuously.

 A man is arrested after the attack this afternoon
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A man is arrested after the attack this afternoonCredit: Sky News

"I walked up the road and we could just see a lorry, a truck, and what we could only assume was a lifeless body in front of it.

"It had a peach or orange towel covering it and there was another body with a white sheet in the middle of the road.

"There were armed police running past us and shouting in Swedish.

 The lorry is believe to have been hijacked from a beer company earlier today
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The lorry is believe to have been hijacked from a beer company earlier todayCredit: Getty Images

"The police officer said to just keep walking. They are sending people away from the scene.

"We were trying to find out what happened but there was so much panic because of what's just happened in London. Everyone is on high alert.

"There were crowds of people flooding along the street to get away and lots of police officers with guns and lots and lots of sirens.

"There has been a few people walking past with blankets and there is a big cordon around the street. Everyone was just trying to figure out what was going on."

Vu Ly, a 24-year-old student living in Stockholm, witnessed the incident.

He said "it was very intense", and "people were going crazy".

The student, originally from Vietnam, compared the scene to last month's attack in Westminster, adding: "I've never witnessed anything like that with my naked eyes, it was terrible."

Paramedics could also be seen tending to the injured near the truck.

 Pools of blood are visible on the streets in the shopping area
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Pools of blood are visible on the streets in the shopping areaCredit: Reuters

Jan Granroth told Aftonbladet: "We stood inside a shoe store and heard something ... and then people started to scream.

"I looked out of the store and saw a big truck."

Local radio reporter Martin Svenningsen said he "saw at least three dead, but there are probably more. It's a complete mess here."

Witnesses reported "total confusion" and "complete chaos" in the city, according to

Photos from the scene appear to show the vehicle is a beer truck, with Swedish brewers Spendrups confirming one of its trucks was hijacked earlier today.


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